A post shared by Film Companion (@filmcompanion) on May 19, 2017 at 3:23am PDT

Day 4 in Cannes began with a technical malfunction—the first I’ve experienced in all the years I’ve been coming to the festival. The screening of Bong Joon Ho’s Okja had to be stopped because of misaligned framing. The film has been produced by the streaming giant Netflix, which is making headlines in Cannes currently because of their policy of not releasing films in theatres. When the Netflix logo appeared onscreen, there was loud booing. When the screening stopped—for a good 10 minutes—people whispered that it was the “Curse of Netflix”! But the drama was well worth it because Okja turned out to be a wonderfully layered film about the relationship between a young girl and a genetically-engineered ‘super-pig’. The film got strong reviews and applause.

Cannes audiences are voluble and volatile—they love to boo! And the long security lines aren’t helping frayed tempers. Yesterday as I waited to get my bag checked, I heard that security personnel were even confiscating cough drops!

Later in the day, I interviewed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan—a 16-year Cannes veteran. This is a singular achievement for an Indian actor. Cannes shows no signs of Aish fatigue. She was resplendent and casually cool about the intense red carpet scrutiny. When I brought up her choice of purple lipstick last year (it sent the fashion police into a tizzy), she simply shrugged. Her red carpet mantra is, “Go with the flow and enjoy the show”.

The joy of Cannes is that it brings together film professionals from around the globe. Yesterday at a lunch, I sat with a film programmer from Brazil, a producer from Japan and a foreign sales veteran who operates out of Hong Kong. For a few days each May, this tiny town becomes a reflection of the world. It also underlines the fact that no matter how divided we may be, cinema is a universal bond. The movies unite us.

This year, like others, has been a whirlwind of movies, meetings and interviews. What I will remember most is the expression of exhilaration on Deepika Padukone’s face. When I asked her what was most challenging about being at the festival, she smiled and said, look at this place, how can anything be a challenge here?